INTERVIEW | Actress Katie Finneran

Kimberly Faith Hickman [Assistant Director CHILDREN] recently sat down with Tony Award-winning actress Katie Finneran [actress in CHILDREN and THE TORCH-BEARERS and WTF Alum].

Kimberly Faith Hickman : So this is your third or fourth show?

Katie Finneran : My third show.

KFH : And have they all been co-productions with someone?

KF : Yes! The first one was with Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor with Sybil Christopher—that was HEDDA GABLER—and the second was BEYOND THERAPY which we then took to Bay Street.

KFH : And that’s when you met your man?

KF : That’s when I met my man! Darren Goldstein! Yeah, I saw him on the first day in the rehearsal room. He was there. And I went “All right…there you are…”

KFH : (laughs) And CHILDREN came from Westport?

KF : Yes.

KFH : So how has Williamstown, being here for as many shows as you have, how has your relationship with Williamstown, extend into your work outside of Williamstown?

KF :I mean, it’s really a fantastic haven with such a good spirit to it, and they get a lot of great, great actors and great people. And because of the intimacy of the space, like the uh, living together… I remember, the first time I lived with Richard Easton and Michael Gross. Michael Gross would come out in his towel brushing his teeth, and Richard and I would have breakfast. So for a long time, I used to tell everyone that Richard and I lived together for a summer. Let that rumor fly for a while.

KFH : (laughs) Right…

KF : But, yeah, because of that sort of intimacy, you never forget it. I mean, it’s such a different feeling than having your own life in the city—coming to work, going to the theatre, and going home. Williamstown is very much like camp. So… you take those relationships, and you go on, you know, and carry them with you.

KFH : Now, how long have you known Nicky? Is he the person with Williamstown that you’ve known the longest?

KF : I would say, yeah. Maybe fourteen, fifteen years?

KFH : Oh, wow.

KF : Maybe longer than that, because I’ve been in the city for about eighteen years, and I knew him pretty soon there, after…

KFH : How were you approached about being in CHILDREN?

KF : You know, I think Joey Tillinger and I sort of know the same people, and we’ve met, and I may have auditioned for him at one point, and I can’t remember what it was for, but I may have. He’s seen plays I’ve done, and I’ve seen a lot of his shows. And he’s just one guy I hadn’t worked with, so that was really appealing to me. And he offered it to me, which was really lovely. And of course, when someone asks you to dance, it always good to…

KFH : Say “yes!”

KF : Yes! Always! It’s always good to say “yes.” You want to say “yes.”

KFH : It’d be foolish not to… (laughs)

KF : (laughs) Yeah, yeah!

KFH : And you’re getting to work with Judith Light, which is very cool.

KF : (singing) Love her!!! Oh my gosh. We’re becoming friends and hanging out. She’s the loveliest person ever.

KFH : She’s like… the fairy god-mother of everybody.

KF : Oh my god, she is! I have a new catch phrase… It’s like, “Oh, I’m just gonna Judith Light it.” Meaning be easy about it. Just take it easy. Be positive. It will all work out.

KFH : That’s right…

KF : “Just Light it! Judith Light it…”

KFH : (laughs) And now you can “Light” our stage here…Well, do you have anything you would like to add into this?

KF : Apprentices, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

KFH : Yes! That’s good advice.

KF : People who are in the shows… we’re all here to work together. You might be a little shy because we’re loud and… and flirty… and you might recognize us from the shows, but I mean, we’re all here to learn. You know, if you see one of us, ask us any questions that you want… I mean, certainly me. But I know, all of the actors are pretty generous that way, so if you have a question, don’t be afraid to come up and say hello and ask. Cause really, it’s an extraordinary business to be in. It’s kind of daunting and it’s hard at times, but if you really love it, I say everybody should follow a path to the theatre.

KFH : Looking back over the course of your career, besides asking questions, do you have any advice… Do you have advice that was given to you that you would pass on?

KF : I would say, you always know. It’s like… You can ask practical questions. But in terms of what you want to do, you know, gather information, find out every single thing that you can about what you want to do, whether it’s direct or write or act or whatever. And just try to stay excited about it. Because you’ll get rejected more often than you’ll get success. Try to stay excited about it and maintain the joy, the fun. Then just follow your own path, because every single person has a different path in this business. That’s what’s so extraordinary about it. There’s no one way…

KFH : …to do it?

KF - …to be a star on Broadway. There’s not. There’s not one single way. People who work at Goldman Sachs can be an investment banker, and you can pretty much follow the numbers to be higher up, a vice president or whatever. But in our business… it’s so creative and different and bizarre that’s there’s no one way. So always follow your own path and you’ll always know the answer.

[photo] Sam Hough for © WTF ’09 [pictured] Katie Finneran in CHILDREN, Dir. John Tillinger

© [Scenic Design | James Noon, Costume Design | Jane Greenwood, Lighting Design | RuiRita] 2009

[ ... ]

WASPs

WASP, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, refers to members of the upper class of the Northeastern states, who supposedly form a powerful elite. They created and dominated the social structure of the United States beginning practically as soon as this country was formed. Today, they are still imagined to dominate America’s prep schools and Ivy League institutions, many of which were formed in order to teach certain skills, habits, and attitudes associated with the upper class.

This upper echelon set the standard for society, education and politics—as well as class distinction and polarization. WASPs are credited with upholding the traditional British values and tastes, honoring the old and established, playing squash, golf, tennis, badminton, croquet, and polo. Social registers and society pages listed those who mingled in the same private clubs, attended the same churches, and lived in the same neighborhoods—Philadelphia’s Main Line and Chestnut Hill neighborhoods, New York City’s Upper East Side, and Boston’s Beacon Hill are notable examples.

When CHILDREN was first produced (1974), WASPs were part of a swiftly declining culture. Post World War II the networks of privilege and power in the old Protestant establishment began to lose significance. The postwar era created ample economic and educational opportunities for a growing middle class that would soon dominate American culture. In CHILDREN, this decay of a culture is represented by the crumbling house, the run-down tennis court and, the most significant element, the dysfunction within the characters’ familial relationships.

by Sarah Slight [Literary Associate]

[photo] Sam Hough for © WTF ’09 [pictured] Mary Bacon in CHILDREN, Dir. John Tillinger

© [Scenic Design | James Noon, Costume Design | Jane Greenwood, Lighting Design | RuiRita] 2009

[ ... ]

Season Opening!

Congratulations to the cast, design team, and production staff of CHILDREN on a very successful opening! The entire Williamstown Theatre Festival community came out last night for the opening night gala and party. Here are some fun photos from the big night:

Artistic Director Nicholas Martin and Becky Ann Baker (appearing later this summer in THE TORCH-BEARERS directed by her husband, Dylan)

The proud CHLDREN cast: Mary Bacon (Jane), Katie Finneran (Barbara), Judith Light (Mother), playwright A.R. Gurney, and James Waterston (Randy)

KNICKERBOCKER'S Reg Rogers and Dylan Baker

…THUNDER?'s Wendie Malick and Betty Gilpin

KNICKERBOCKER'S Brooks Ashmanskas and TRUE WEST director Daniel Goldstein

CHILDREN's James Waterston and WTF Alumna Marian Seldes

[photo] Sam Hough for © WTF ’09

[ ... ]

Gurney’s Perspective

A.R. Gurney, playwright of CHILDREN, on the matriarch character in his play

The part of, Mother, has attracted many good actors over the years here and elsewhere: Constance Cummings in England, Lili Palmer in Germany, and Michelle Morgan in France. In the U.S., Sada Thompson took the play on a summer tour, and Katharine Hepburn toyed with bringing it to Broadway, but asked for many changes. She wanted me to bring on stage a character I had purposely kept off, and she proposed a different ending: “I can see myself,” she said, “alone on stage, for a very long time.” We talked back and forth for several months until finally she announced, “Mr. Gurney, you have written an ensemble play. I happen to be a start.” So we shook hands and parted congenially. The play was subsequently option for television but never produced.

[photo] Sam Hough for © WTF ’09 [pictured] Judith Light in CHILDREN, Dir. John Tillinger

© [Scenic Design | James Noon, Costume Design | Jane Greenwood, Lighting Design | Rui Rita] 2009

[ ... ]

So, what is a “co-production” anyways?

You may have noticed that the 2009 Williamstown season opening production of A.R. Gurney’s CHILDREN is a co-production with the Westport Country Playhouse. Now, you might be asking yourself, “What is a ‘co-production’”?

A co-production, or “co-pro”, is when two (or more) theatre companies team up to present the same production of the same play. Simply, the show that you’ll see in Williamstown is the same show that ran to rave reviews in Westport, CT in early June. The same group of four actors (Mary Bacon, Katie Finneran, Judith Light, and James Waterson), the same director (John Tillinger), designers (James Noone – Sets, Jane Greenwood – Costumes, Rui Rita – Lights, and Scott Killian– Sound), and even the physical production (set, clothes, props, etc) all return to reprise their roles just in another locale.

Co-pros enable theatre companies with similar artistic sensibilities to partner up and offer their audiences a chance to see a great play that they may not have been able to otherwise. Theatres often bemoan how their productions are ephemeral. By doubling the length of the run and potential viewers, a co-pro can add a sense of permanence to an otherwise transient endeavor.

Audiences most certainly benefit from being able to see a co-pro, but the artists involved do so as well. In addition to being able to share their craft with wider viewership, having a second crack at a play so close together allows the actors to dig deeper into their characters and really explore the material further. Like plays on Broadway with extended runs, co-productions change over time and those subtle differences are what make each performance unique.

Williamstown has done several co-productions in the past. BEYOND THERAPY by Christopher Durang last season and Nicholas Martin’s 2000 production of HEDDA GABLER were both co-pros with Sag Harbor, NY’s Bay Street Theatre (and both starred festival favorite Kate Burton).

We are very proud to present CHILDREN with the Westport Country Playhouse. As you always hope with a co-production, the more cooks we have, the more delicious the meal. We very much hope you enjoy it.

by Justin Waldman [Artistic Associate]

[ ... ]